Inside the Star

Afghanistan veteran committed suicide on eve of last troops’ return

Cpl. Alain Lacasse was found dead in Valcartier, Que., on Monday, while in another incident, Master Cpl. Tyson Washburn died Saturday under unclear circumstances, the Department of National Defence said.

Lacasse belonged to the 3rd Battalion of the Royal 22nd Regiment, and saw tours of duty in Cyprus, Germany, Israel, Bosnia and Afghanistan. His last deployment was in Kandahar, Afghanistan, from July 2007 to February 2008.

According to the CBC, Lacasse encountered a close call just a few days before the end of his tour when a suicide bomber jumped in front of the car he was riding in. Nobody was hurt, though the vehicle exploded.

Lacasse’s death comes barely a month after Canada’s chief of defence staff, Gen. Tom Lawson, spoke out against the “terribly worrying” spate of military suicides.

Speaking at an annual forum hosted by the Conference of Defence Associations, Lawson said the military can do more to help veterans combat the psychological fallout of their missions.

As many as nine soldiers have died by suicide in recent months. The string of deaths has put a renewed focus on mental health services available to troops coping with operational stress injuries.

With files from The Canadian Press

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